U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) is the U.S. Department of Defense’s geographic combatant command responsible for U.S. military relations and operations in Africa—building partner capacity, countering transnational threats, and responding to crises. AFRICOM’s commander would travel with the Deputy Secretary because their trip combines diplomatic and security objectives: coordinating civilian (State) policy and commercial engagement with military-to-military and counterterrorism cooperation that AFRICOM oversees, so a joint visit signals whole-of-government engagement.
The Deputy Secretary of State is the Secretary’s principal deputy and adviser, acts as the Department’s second-ranking official (and as Acting Secretary when needed), and helps formulate and supervise U.S. foreign policy and the Department’s operations. The office provides overall supervision and direction of the Department and supports implementation of U.S. diplomatic priorities.
Tommy Pigott is the State Department’s Principal Deputy Spokesperson, the senior deputy to the department’s spokesperson who issues official statements and briefings. In this release, “attributable to” means the text that follows is being released on official authority and can be cited as coming from the Principal Deputy Spokesperson (i.e., Pigott is the source for the media note).
Mahmoud Ali Youssouf (also spelled Mahamoud/Mahmoud Ali Youssouf) is Djibouti’s long‑time foreign minister who was elected Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) in February 2025. The AUC is the AU’s secretariat and executive branch: its chairperson is the Commission’s CEO and legal representative, responsible for administration, finance, coordinating AU policies, and implementing AU decisions across member states.
“Rebalancing trade” generally means shifting U.S. trade relationships to increase U.S. exports, investment, and fairer terms (and reduce persistent deficits) — often by promoting U.S. companies, market access, investment-friendly rules, and regulatory reforms abroad. In practice for Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti this can mean U.S. officials pushing for greater commercial opportunities for American firms, host‑country reforms to improve the business climate, and security or aid ties tied to commercial objectives.
Kenya has contributed personnel and leadership to international security efforts for Haiti: in 2024–2025 Kenya offered/led a multinational security mission (police and security personnel) aimed at stabilizing Haiti amid lawlessness, under UN and international arrangements; Kenya’s role involves deploying trained officers and coordinating with international partners to restore public security. Specific mission details (force size, status) have varied with UN mandates and bilateral arrangements.